A Brother's Love
by xx kaaat
Summary: When Sasori came back into her life, she left the village and was deemed as a traitor. Six years later, her old team has killed Sasori and left Sakura to pick up the pieces. Will Sakura come to her senses? Or fight alongside her new family to destroy Konoha? ; OOC.
1. Chapter 1

_**A Brother's Love**_

_An xxKaaat Original_

Chapter One

* * *

"Sasori is dead." Those were three words she never wanted to hear. She wasn't ready for the fall. In fact, none of them were. No one was ready to know that a loving and very powerful friend and sibling had been killed in action.

It was a rainy Saturday morning. Just north of the Akatsuki hideout, stood nine individuals. None of them spoke, for no one dared. Together, the group formed a 'U' shape around a small headstone which stood underneath a large willow tree. The engraving read, "_Akasuna No Sasori. Loving friend and brother. Killed in action._" Just underneath the markings, laid a small pile of white flowers.

Ever so slowly, a young female emerged from the group. In her hands fell a pink rose, a ring around the stem. One she was in distance, she knelt down and gently laid the rose on top the other flowers. Silently she kissed her fingers and touched the headstone. She didn't back away though, instead she stared straight ahead at the headstone, and silently began to weep as images of her self at a younger age, and a boy who was much older than she, flashed through her head. At once she opened her eyes, stood up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Slowly she turned away and faced the emotionless group.

In the middle of the curve, stood a tall man with orange hair and many piercings. He gave a small nod to the girl, then closed his eyes as he felt a small breeze pass him. Once he opened his eyes, the girl was gone. Slowly he hung his head. Looking through his lashes, he looked to see that he was the only one in the group, not wearing his straw hat. He gave a small smile as he raised his head again.

"This was the wrong doing of the leaf village, no doubt." He watched as the heads of the group perked toward him. "While inspecting near the body, I found a headband. Even before that, I saw them leaving." He turned a head to a taller man at the end of the curve. His long locks fell past his eyes and his face showed lines of age. "Your brother was one of them Itachi." He watched as red eyes met his. "They identified Sasori as the sibling of our dearest Sakura." He paused. "That, Kakashi, is it? He hesitated in killing Sasori, but he gave them no choice as he wouldn't go down without a fight."

A voice boomed from a tall blonde man across from Itachi. "You mean, you watched the fight and didn't help him!?"

"It wasn't my fight Deidara. I had no part in his battle, and if I gave way of my position they would have fought me too." The orange haired man shot a look at the blonde who didn't reply. At once the blonde turned his head. "Now, any more outbursts from you?" He looked around the group, each member turning from his gaze. "Good, now everyone back to the hideout. There's no doubt that they'll be back soon. If they come, I'll set another seal."

With that, the group of people dispersed, leaving the orange haired man and a young woman. The woman slowly made her way to the man. She was much shorter than him, and her hair was a light shade of purple. Her labret was pierced and her eyes were gray. At once she raised a hand to the mans cheek. "Pein, give Deidara peace. Sasori was his best friend and partner, you know that." She paused and slowly wrapped her arms around his frame. "He needs time to cope with the loss."

"Konan, he had no right to burst like that." Slowly Pein wrapped an arm around the woman. "I don't care if he needs time or not, it was wrong. The only person I'm truly worried about is Sakura. After all, it's her brother. If she no longer sees a reason to be here, she could leave at any given time." He paused. "I can't let that happen Konan. That girl is vital for us, and if she falls into the wrong hands, then no doubt she'll be used as a weapon."

"Pein, I doubt she'll go back to them. They killed her brother, and no doubt she knows that. It's a matter of time until she kills out of revenge." Konan smiled. "She's strong, and no doubt she'll train to avenge Sasori, and gain strength to fight for him. They were very close you know, and he loved her very much." Slowly the woman turned to look at the grave once again. "His will, his strength, his love, he himself will live on in Sakura, and in time you'll see Pein. She's a big girl and she can take care of herself."

* * *

A young woman sat staring into the river. Her straw hat was now on the ground, and her cloak was strung on a nearby bush. Long pink hair flowed down her slender frame as she shivered from the cold. Her emerald eyes were now red from the tears, and her face was warm. Slowly the girl pushed her hair back to reveal a small black piercing resembling her leaders through her lobe. After cradling her face in her knees, she wrapped an arm around her legs to pull them closer.

From the treeline emerged a tall blonde man. His long hair stuck to his body from the rain, and his blue eyes showed no emotion. "Sakura."

The girl didn't reply, she couldn't find the voice. Instead she simply shook her head as she stared back into the river. "Sakura." The voice spoke again. This time the girl stood up. She turned to face the blonde. She was wearing the usual Akatsuki garnets, a gray cover for her chest and gray shorts. In between those, she swore simply fishnet. Her pong pink hair fell to her lower back as she took a deep breath.

"Six years." Was all she managed before the tears began to fall again. "After six years of training, getting to know my brother again, finding him, leaving my village, he's been killed. My own friends, they were the ones to do so. Yet, no one seems to care that my world has fallen to rubble. My everything, my reason, all gone." With that, she ran into the blondes build arms. Slowly he pulled the girl tighter as he wrapped his arms around her frame, quieting her sobs.

"Sakura, Sasori loved you very much and you know that. His death was not in vein, he was protecting us all in the hideout." He couldn't speak as he remembered what Pein had told him mere minutes ago. "He wouldn't want to see you upset."

The girl pulled away slightly, looking into the blue eyes that belonged to her brother's best friend. "I'll never forget the letters we sent back and forth, before I left. He wanted me to join so badly, just so he could fight alongside me, train me and introduce me to world you live in." She sighed. "For six years we've proven ourselves. I've become so strong, because of him." Her eyes glossed over. "I won't let him die for me, that's not how it works Deidara. I will avenge him."

At once Deidara pulled away. He watched as the vibrant green returned to her eyes. Slowly with his hands on her shoulders he replied, "I will help you." He sighed. "Sasori was my best friend, but we can't be rash about this. The leaf will expect an attack soon after, and no doubt they'll send ninja back to investigate around here."

* * *

Eight ninja stood in the hokage office. Each of them stood with their head hung low and hands behind their back. It was a rainy day in Konohagakure and the mission they'd just ended didn't seem to lift their spirits.

"You mean to tell me you all killed an Akatsuki member? Swell! Who?" A blonde busty woman asked.

Slowly a tall man with gray hair stepped forward. "Lady Tsunade, it was Sasori is the red sand.. He put up one hell of a fight, but in the end he fell." He sighed. "Each of are hurt in a different way, fuck Tenten can barely stand." He turned to look at the young woman who was being held up by a taller boy with long hair that fell to his knees. "Neji's had to carry her most of the way. Naruto's got a cut that's stitched for now, but it's only a matter of time until the thread splits again. And Sasuke, he took cuts to the face, back and throat. Luckily we had medical assistance from the sand."

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "Shizune!" She barked. Within seconds a younger woman appeared in the doorway behind the group. "Take these injured to the medical wing stat. Treat them best as you can." With that, each person slowly hobbled from the room. "Kakashi, I want a word with you." When the room was empty,minus Kakashi, he turned to shut the door. At once he knew what the Hokage was going to say.

The blonde put her hand to her head. "Was there any sign of Sakura there?" Her eyes seemed troubled.

The man sighed, "Naruto tried for her, but Sasori wouldn't give in. He said he'd never let her go back to the leaf after all they'd done to his family." Kakashi wiped his brow. "I tried to reason with him, tell him that both he and Sakura could come back and we'd let them go for free, but he wouldn't budge. We guessed that Sakura was unaware of the situation."

"Kakashi, it's been six years, when the hell will she realize what she's done?" The blonde's eyes were dark.

"Tsunade, I don't think that day will ever come. She went on her own free will, you dead the letters yourself. She told Sasori all our weaknesses and secrets even at that time she was only twelve. She's deemed as a traitor, as hard as it may seem."

The woman's head fell. "Kakashi, I well know that. I trained her myself for years alongside you. She blossomed, and she knew so much. To just turn on us, it makes no sense."

Kakashi leaned against the wall. "Our Anbu killed their parents and her brother ran from the village, cutting ties with everyone. She was young, and Sasori took advantage of her, and she fell for his charm. She was always so hung up over her brother, and he came waltzing back into her life. She took the chance, doing whatever she had to." Kakashi's head fell. "It's just as hard for me, she called me her father figure... but we have to accept the fact that she's a member of the Akatsuki and they've kept her hidden well. There's no doubt that she's grown up alongside them all, and they've all trained her well."

"How's Naruto?"

"Pissed at the world. Sasuke? Once again blaming himself for her run. Me? Pretty fucked up knowing that all hope of Sakura ever returning is gone. I mean after all, I killed her brother. No doubt that's only added to her hate for us."

Tsunade's head perked up. "How did he die again?"

"He was running low on chakra, and he fell to his knees. I took it as an advantage, and I used the sharingan." He sighed once again. "Naruto threw the rasengan to cut his puppet form from trying any tricks, and Sasuke threw the kunai through his poison heart."

"Alright.. you're free to go Kakashi." The woman waved him away. "Take care of yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A Brother's Love**_

_An xxKaaat Original_

Chapter Two

* * *

A young black haired woman stood in the corner of the medical wing of the Hokage mansion. She was dumbfounded to know that one single man could injure a full team of seven by himself. To her, the thought was just shocking.

Four of the six beds in the room were occupied. On the far left laid a girl with medium length hair. She was currently sleeping, the medication was trying to subdue the pain. She'd suffered a fracture to her right ankle, and her left was infected after a deep cut punctured her skin. There were various cuts on her face. Next to her laid a young raven haired boy. He too was sleeping, but his injuries were much less severe. Across his throat was a large bandage, and his whole torso was bandaged tight. Beside him, there laid another man with stitches all across his chest. His hair was pulled into a high ponytail which hung over the back of the bed. He was awake, and he held a heating pad against his skin. Every so often, the nurse would alternate from the heating pad, to an ice pack. Each time, the man would wince at his pain. In the last bed, was a blonde man who was also awake. Down the center of his chest was a large scar, which was barely bleeding in various spots.

"That Sasori sure did a hell of a lot of damage to the kids."

Kakashi slowly turned to look his friend in the face. The man was wearing green spandex, and his face was very tan. His bushy eyebrows furrowed in disbelief at the young ninja across the room. After a few silent seconds, the man reached up to his forehead to touch the now bloody gauze. He winced in pain.

"Guy, there's no doubt that the remaining Akatsuki members are only stronger, if not as strong as Sasori." Kakashi's face relaxed. "No doubt."

Guy turned to look at the man beside him. "I've never seen someone like him, the man was a puppet." His eyes seemed full of emotion. "Sakura has been taught well."

Suddenly Kakashi's face grew tense once again. "I've tried to shut out the thought." As Guy began to speak once more, Kakashi simply put a hand up and stopped him. "Never in my life do I want to face her." His eyes grew dark. "She is an ex student of mine, and I'll never consider her an enemy until she strikes me.

The young woman in her bed shuffled on the other side of her room. "Argh." Was all she managed as her eyes slowly opened. Her pained expression only worsened when she saw her leg suspended from the ceiling. "Shit." Was all she managed.

From two beds down came a weak voice. "Tenten, you okay?" It was Neji.

The female groaned. "Eventually I'll get there." Slowly she pushed herself up the bed. "You Neji?"

He nodded. "I'll be okay." He motioned to the chair beside Tenten. "Lee's been by your side since we got here. He's worried himself sick about us."

The brunette woman turned her head to watch her now sleeping teammate. "It's good that he's finally resting. He overworked himself."

Neji turned to look at Naruto. "How you holding up?" He sounded concerned.

"Eh." Was all the boy managed. His blue eyes stared at the ceiling in disgust.

"Naruto."

"I'll be fine okay!?" Before he even realized it, everyone was now looking at him. Slowly he dropped his head, ashamed of himself.

* * *

The young girl stared at her reflection in the mirror. She took in every single detail about herself. She was short, and she was extremely skinny. Her bright pink hair had grown down to her thighs over the years, but it was naturally straight. Her vibrant emerald eyes popped against her pale skin. Her lips were a rosy color, and her cheeks were a light shade of pink. Over the years, the outlines of her eyes had darkened, and it only made her eyes stand out more.

Slowly she closed her eyes and picture herself alongside two young men, and a taller man. In an instant she pushed the thoughts away as the image of a red haired man came to her mind. Opening her eyes, she looked and saw a much younger version of herself staring back. Her hair was shorter, her eyes lighter and a small smile grazed her lips. Instantly the girl raised a fist, then pounded it into the glass, watching it shatter. Then the pinkette released the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

A knock at the door shattered the tension filled silence. At once the door opened and an orange headed male stepped inside. He turned to close the door behind him.

When he turned back toward the girl, he stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright Sakura?"

Sakura swallowed hard, nodding her head. "Yeah."

At once the man opened his arms, and motioned for her to come forward. In an instant, she ran full force to greet his welcoming grasp. "My child, what's gotten into you?"

She turned her head to hear his heartbeat. "Lord, I'm so lost. I don't know what to do." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I've tried so hard, yet it feels like it's for nothing. I'm shattered, broken beyond repair and I don't know how to go on... what to do..."

The man rubbed soothing circles into her back. "Sakura, listen to me. You are not alone, and all you've worked for will not be wasted. There comes a point in everyone's life where they have a choice to make, and yours happened to arrive early." He sighed. "Your so called 'friends' have broken the ultimate bond and you know that. This is your choice now, to avenge Sasori or let him die in vain." He pushed the girl so she was at his arms length. "I have faith in you Sakura. You've grown so much, and you've become so strong through the years. I know you'll make the right choice."

The pinkette rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Pein, how do you know?"

At once the man motioned for her to walk toward the now shattered mirror. At once he held up a hand, and Sakura watched as the mirror replaced itself showing no signs of damage. At once he stood behind her. "I see a young, beautiful, talented girl who's trying to find her inner strength." Slowly Pain held up a small metal bar in his fingers. "This is my gift to you."

Sakura reached a hand to Pein's. "What is this?" She asked while eying the bar.

He smiled, "It's a chakra rod, although we use them as piercings for disguise." He reached forward and held back Sakura's hair. There in her lobe was an identical metal bar, yet much skinnier. "Just once bar holds more concentrated chakra than you have in your whole body."

The girls eyes grew wide. "You mean, every piercing you have is.."

"A chakra rod." Pein confirmed. "Sakura, I want to give you these, to help you develop new skills and attacks. I want to personally train you." With that, Pein moved to Sakura's other shoulder. Slowly he pulled back her hair, and touching his fingers to her lobe. At once a blue flame appeared around his fingers, opening a hole through the skin. Quickly he inserted the chakra rod. "Simple as that."

He watched as Sakura felt her ears. "No pain." Was all she said.

Pein slowly showed another, much longer rod from his cloak arm. "One more Sakura." He sighed. "Don't be afraid, close your eyes."

The pinkette did as she was told. Pein watched from the mirror as he unhooked the top button of her cloak. Slowly he unzipped the cloak, revealing Sakura's chest, covered in the gray cloth. Slowly he touched her breastbone and a blue flame appeared from his hand. Ever so gently, he pushed the rod through her skin. When she jumped at the feeling, Pein barked, "Sakura breath!" And she did. Once again, Pein applied pressure to the rod, and he began pushing it the rest of the way through her skin.

At once, Pein zipped her cloak back up, and he buttoned the top back together. Slowly Sakura opened her eyes, moving her hand to her chest to feel where the rod had just been inserted. "Pein...?"

"My own personal chakra, flowing through your veins." He smiled over her shoulder. "You can do so much more, just with that bar. Let alone the rod that's now in your chest." Pein's eyes met Sakura's. "It should feel slightly different, and there will be more pressure. But there shouldn't be any pain. Now relax, rest, learn your new power." Slowly the man left the mirrors view, and made his way to the door.

"Leader." With one hand on the doorknob, Pein turned to face the girl. "Thank you."

* * *

A man with long raven colored hair sat in a chair, cradling a book in his hands. He looked at ease with the world, lost in the plot of the book, or maybe his thoughts. Over the arm of the chair, laid one of his legs, the other on the floor beneath him.

"Deidara, is Sakura okay?" A deep voice rang through the empty library.

The blonde looked up from his book. He was laying upon the couch, a pillow resting behind his head. "I think, why?"

The figure man turned to face the blonde. His facial expression was unreadable. "Back when she was young, she and Sasuke, they were on a team together. She had feelings for him, but he treated her like dirt in return." He paused. "A shame her old mates were the ones to kill her only blood still living."

The blonde rose from the couch. His baby blue eyes shined. "I'm sure it will take Sakura a great deal of time to heal Itachi." He hesitated. "Are you okay?"

The raven haired man met Deidara's gaze. "What?"

"Sasuke, your brother." The blonde paused. "I know he means a great deal to you Itachi. Knowing he was so close, it much be hard. Are you okay?"

Itachi sighed and fell back into his chair. "I'm fine Deidara."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A Brother's Love**_

_An xxKaaat Original_

Chapter Three

* * *

Sakura stood on the monument which overlooked Konohagakure. This mountain had a carved face of every Hokage to ever live. This was the first time in her life she'd ever truly seen such a beautiful sight, but that didn't matter. The moon light shined over the village, away from her frame. The night air nipped at her exposed cheeks, but it didn't bother her anymore. After taking in the village overhead view, she simply raised her hand. There, behind her emerged another person from the darkness. At once the figure raised it's hands and threw a clay bird into the air. In its beak was a small envelope. Without turning around Sakura spoke, "You know what to do Deidara."

Upon those words, the bird took off into the night, carrying a message. From behind her, the man softly spoke, "Would you like me to prepare the flight?"

"Yes please." She paused. "If Hatake tries anything, we'll need a speedy escape." She finally turned to face the man. "Explosives ready?"

"If you give the signal." Replied Deidara.

* * *

The chilly night air filled the room which belong to Kakashi. Every night we opened his window at midnight, leaving it open until he awoke the next morning. Tonight was no different. The man sat against his headboard reading to the light of the moon which shown through his window. He wore a black muscle shirt that showed his tones arms, and a blue pair of sweat pants.

Swiftly, a small bird landed on the mans windowsill. Instantly noticing the envelope, he stood up and made his way toward the bird. As soon as he took the message from the birds beak, the clay disintegrated. "The hell?" Quickly opening the envelope, Kakashi tore the letter open. Eying the paper, then the name his eyes grew wide. "No." Throwing the letter to the ground, he grabbed his nearest pair of shoes, and took off through the window making sure no one spotted him.

* * *

It'd been nearly twenty minutes from the time Sakura sent the letter, to the time that Kakashi arrived. There in the center of the monument, stood a dark, hooded figure. It didn't move, but simply stood there. Softly Kakashi spoke, "No one has come with me, please."

With that, a blonde man jumped from a taller ridge of the mountain. His blonde hair flew freely as he spoke, "He speaks the truth."

With that, the figure removed it's hat to reveal long pink locks. At once the person flipped their hair back to reveal a young feminine face. At once the girl blinked her emerald eyes, lips in a thin line. "Hatake."

From across her way, Kakashi's face scrunched. He hung his head. "Sakura, you're really here." He smiled away from her. "You're alive." After a silent filled moment, he shot his head up. "Sakura, why are you here?"

"Please tell me Kakashi, tell me you didn't kill him." Her voice grew quieter. "Tell me you didn't kill Sasori."

At once, Kakashi knew the truth had to be told. His eyes glossed as he began. "Sakura, it wasn't meant to end that way. Please believe me." He hesitated. "We tried to reason with Sasori, we tried to tell him that he and you could return to the village and you'd both be let go free. But he wouldn't listen, instead he put up a fight. Then Naruto got him riled up, telling him that the village needed you and how he needed you back... Sasori kept saying that he'd saved you from the fate of the village, and you'd never return. He gave no reasoning, but he just kept going and going." Kakashi's face seemed almost painful. "It wasn't supposed to turn out that way Sakura. He was just there, and he initiated the fight."

From the rock ledge, Deidara stared at the man who stood on the edge of the monument. For a second he felt almost pity, but he wouldn't give in. Instead he simply stared at Sakura who didn't speak. He knew she was just barely holding herself together.

Once again Kakashi started. "You've become so beautiful, and there's no doubt that you've been trained well. Naruto misses you, Sasuke misses you... I, Tsunade even Guy. We all miss you." He stopped, "It's been six years."

"Cut the shit Kakashi." Sakura barked. Upon those words, Deidara's head perked up, as well as Kakashi's. "I was always the weakest of the team and you knew that. Naruto excelled so much, and you were always so proud of him. Sasuke always treated me like shit too. He put me down, told me I'd never be good enough. I was so desperate that I went to Tsunade, and I tried so hard." She paused. "It still wasn't good enough." Her voice was practically a growl. "Sasori saved me from myself. He trained me and showed me what real power was. The Akatsuki showed me love and real friendship. Then six years pass by, and all the sudden everyone misses me? Why? Do they miss me because for once they can't look down at me and laugh because their so far ahead?"

Kakashi was stunned. "Sakura-"

"You once told me that a ninja who breaks the rules is scum, but a ninja who abandons their friends is worse than scum. You told me that." Once again her voice was low. "But you, Naruto and Sasuke abandoned me. You left me to savage what was left over and I was left in the shadows but no one seemed to care. No one ever congratulated me, no one ever gave me the best for my work."

Kakashi made a motion to step forward, but stopped in his tracks.

"It's been six years since I left Kakashi. I am eighteen now, and I can make my own decisions." Sakura slowly took a step forward. "If you move even an inch, Deidara will detonate the chain of bombs we've placed around the village. Understand?"

Kakashi swallowed. "Alright."

Slowly Sakura made her way toward the man. She stopped only a foot away from him, and she watched as his eyes stared down into hers. Slowly she pulled her Hidden Leaf Village headband. Ever so slowly she pulled a kunai from her inner pocket, and with an emotionless face she carved a deep line into the village symbol. Slowly she took a deep breath and put the kunai back in her pocket. Slowly she reached for Kakashi's hand, and she opened his fingers. Gently she placed the headband in his palm, then once again closed his fingers tightly around it. "Sensei, I choose to leave the village behind." Sakura looked up to see the anguish in Kakashi's eye. His face was pained. "I choose to be known as the traitor, and I choose to avenge my brother."

Upon her last words, Sakura stepped backward, away from the man. He watched her every move. "Sakura Haruno.. my student."

"Stop."

Kakashi looked down at the headband in his hand. "I won't consider you an enemy until you attack."

Sakura turned to see Deidara who was now sitting on a giant bird made of clay. He reached down to grasp Sakura's hand, pulling her to his side. Together they took off, watching Kakashi stare down at the headband.

* * *

When they were far enough away, Sakura softly spoke, "Detonate them." And within seconds, a large explosion was heard, but they were far enough it wasn't seen. Swiftly Deidara picked up speed, vanishing into the forest and away from the world.


End file.
